PPPJJ-GCVAB

While "currently unavailable" a backpack like this (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078N6SVS2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) can hold a significant amount of clothing. I purchased it in 2018 and it's my go to for weekend (and overnight) getaways. It holds a few days worth of clothing, my laptop and more. It could help fill the gap of what doesn't fit in a carry on.
Besides that, re-usability will be key - re-wear jeans, less shoes, etc. As @Sharla suggests, doing laundry will help, and organizing with packing cubes might too. Check out YouTube, lots of packing tip videos.
Finally, think about what you're saving to do laundry, buy a new backpack, packing cubes, etc, vs just paying to check a bag... Price might be comparable. 
Finally, Finally, some airlines give you a checked bag as a perk if you have their branded CC (or some CC offer cash towards an airline of your choice) of course this usually comes with a yearly fee.   

I think one of the best hacks to pack less, is to be open to wearing something more than once. As long as you don't sweat through a shirt or the like, you can wear the same thing, let's say for dinner at least a couple of times. I'm sure it has happened on past cruises with other passengers, but to be honest, I've never noticed. I've never said to myself, "Hey! What a minute! They wore that two nights ago!" I know, easier said than done for a guy.
 
Happy Cruising!

Packing cubes! They help a lot. Also if you want to plan on doing laundry one day that will help, you can even bring a couple of laundry soap pods for simplicity. 
And hooks- the walls are magnetic, can help dry out clothes such as bathing suits or workout gear 

Hello All, 
I just booked November 29, 2021 from Los Angeles, 
Any one else going to be there? 4 nights. Catalina and Ensenada. been too long. 
 

Just when I thought there was nothing to add to this thread, CruiseWatch.com just sent me a price drop notice on Navigator of the Seas, March 2022 (I have March 25 7-Nights out of Port of Los Angeles to Cabo, Mazatlan & Vallarta).

Except the price drop is for 3-Nights & 4-Nights out of Ft Lauderdale to Bahamas.
And here we thought that ability to be cruising in two places at once was a mistake.
Funny the Caribbean Cruises are not on the RC website. 
I bet those are price drops to their lowest ever. Just like CruiseWatch.com claims.  ?

Matt is correct - online reviews are usually pretty worthless.  People either seem to have an axe to grind and vent on their keyboards instead of calmly discussing any issues with fellow humans in a reasonable way, or....the other stuff we see online is clearly a paid promo piece of glowing PR.  i stayed on navigator in Feb of 2020 in a balcony with new carpet a few new other pieces (artwork, bed cover, couch, TV, etc) and yes, the cabins were not as brand flashy new as the cabins on Symphony which I cruised a year earlier, but were still fine and we had a great cruise.  I was really impressed with Navigator after being on several other Voyager class ships that had not been Amped. 
Feels like ship cabins are something that gets talked about too much....99% of cabins are designed to be small, efficient little places where most people are not going to spend most of their time.  It's a place to hang up your clothes, shower and sleep right?  Can't compare them to an upscale hotel or condo where space is not at a premium in nearly the same way as a ship and it's much easier to put on a new coat of paint every year.

I need a detox after a week of nightly drinking on a cruise, none the less 40 weeks
 
And all my drinking comes from the suite happy hours!

You think drink fatigue is a thing on a 12 night transatlantic?  
This represents a whole other level of drink fatigue.  

As we’re still two months from any potential cruise liveblogs from the Caribbean, I figured I’d take our trip next week and share with others. 
We decided back in November after a couple of years of talking about it, that we’d make the move down to Florida. Between work trips and vacations We’re there 6-8 times a year in a normal year, so might as well get the benefits of it. So, this January we signed a contract on a new home in the Winter Garden area of Orlando. While the house won’t be done till July, we were able to sell our home in the D.C area in a day, and the new owner needed to move in so we couldn’t rent back till the new one was ready. That means, next Monday we officially become Florida residents. We’re going to rent an AirBNB until the house is ready as being down here means we can keep an eye on the back half of construction. 

As someone who travels almost every week for business, my rule of thumb is that if it’s more than 3 hours away, there’s a plane for that. I’m not a big fan of road trips as getting there faster means more time back at home with the family. 
So, the next thought was to transport the cars and fly down. After two quotes from transport companies they wanted about $1000 for each car and wanted me to give them up to two weeks to get the cars down there, which would mean renting a car for two weeks in Florida. 

On to the next method of transportation it is, luckily we live only about an hour from what was thought in the 70s to be the future of family travel, Amtrak’s AutoTrain station in Lorton, VA. For anyone interested in the auto train history, you can find it here, https://www.american-rails.com/auto.html
After pricing everything out, it was by far the best option as pricing for a Family Suite and moving the two cars came out to only 1062, or roughly the price of just one of the cars. Amtrak has numerous options for travel down ranging from standard coach seats up to the Family Bedrooms with roomettes and bedrooms in between. As there are three of us, we decided on a family bedroom for the trip, it has room to sleep four, and is a private compartment in the train so you can close out the rest of the train. Some rooms like the Bedroom have a private “Shoilet” or a room that is both a shower and a toilet like you might see on some RV’s. All premium fares include your meals and drinks throughout the trip, and like with a cruise, each train car has a dedicated attendant to bring drinks and make up the beds when you want to go to sleep. 
Our trip will begin in Lorton, Va this Sunday at 4pm, or actually a little earlier as you have to get there beforehand so they can load up the cars and won’t end till Monday morning at 8:58am in Sanford, FL. The trip total is about 17 hours and unlike most of the Amtrak travel I’m used to doesn’t have Myriad stops, instead the train only stops once, and that’s in Florence, SC to resupply and change crew. 
By about ten am on Monday we should be on our way towards checking out our new house. So far we’ve only seen pictures from the construction manager. 
 
Hopefully this may be helpful for anyone moving, or perhaps cruise loving passengers who don’t love air travel the way I do. Timed out right you could be at Port Canaveral by about 11am ready to board a cruise by using the auto train.

 

 

I stumbled upon this blog just yesterday and read through it.  Having had toe surgery (cheilectomy [happily avoided an arthrodesis by the skin of my teeth!!]), I truly know the pain...although your surgeries sound much more complex to mine.  Anyway, I am happy to hear this latest surgery/recovery is going well!  Thank you for sharing.  

You are correct. Studies have shown that if you have a good experience with something, you tell a couple of people. If you have a bad experience, you tell ten.

To be Frank, I'd have to change my name.
 

What do you call a bear with no teeth?.........a gummy bear!?

I know a lot of jokes about retired people but none of them work!

Keep in mind some new cabins have been added to Navigator.  Just prior to the amp some cabins were added then during the amp more new cabins were added.  They are like staying in a brand new cabin.  If it really concerns you look for some of the newer cabins.  
Personally I don't have an issue with any cabin on this ship but to each their own. 

I stumbled upon this blog just yesterday and read through it.  Having had toe surgery (cheilectomy [happily avoided an arthrodesis by the skin of my teeth!!]), I truly know the pain...although your surgeries sound much more complex to mine.  Anyway, I am happy to hear this latest surgery/recovery is going well!  Thank you for sharing.  

Nothing new here, really. But I just have to comment on how amazing modern surgery and pain relief have become. For context:
Somewhere in the early 80s, when I was in middle school, I had to get bunion repair done. I woke from surgery screaming in pain and had to get a shot of whatever that time’s pain med of choice was right in my keister. Which knocked me right back out. In 2011 and 2014, I had bone fusion surgeries. I got a nerve block that let me wake up with zero pain, but desperately needed the morphine drip for 24 hours and was on strong pain meds round the clock for about three weeks, and not fully off them for a good few months. This surgery, I was given a set of local anesthetic injections that I was told would last about 3 days. I’m on day 5 post-op and I STILL DON’T NEED ANY PAIN MEDS, apart from one when I go to bed so I can sleep comfortably. And I’m sleeping for 7 to 9 hours at a pop. I still get occasional stings from the donor site, or a suture that had a little too much pressure on it. But they go away within seconds and I’m not even bothered by it all that much.
I fully realize that skin-level work like I just had is almost certainly a heck of a lot less painful than having an entire set of bones broken and nailed together. But to not need anything at all except to sleep, and that one dose lasting for a normal night and then some, is mind-blowing to me. I’ve always feared surgery because it has always meant a nightmare of pain afterward. The advances that have happened in the 40+ years of surgeries that I can remember are just... miraculous.

Price Alert

Check your rates! Our Jr Suite for December 2021 just went down by $620 from what we paid 2 days ago!! Oh yeah!! Great way to start the day! 

 

I wish, my wife will still pack the kitchen sink! ?  

I took a side to side cruise moving between ships.  One was a 3 night weekend cruise.  I had my scuba diving gear with me.  Debarking I had my big XL size suitcase since I had packed for 2 cruises with dive gear.  Everyone else in line had little roller bags.  They were looking at me like "Dude, it's a 3 night cruise".

Some excursions like diving in this case also show Spots Left:

 

I've noticed something I didn't see before.  It is now showing "Spots Left" for certain items like cabanas.
 

Just got this backpack for my birthday yesterday. I’ll still bring my larger backpack as my carryon, but this one seems perfect to pack and use on excursions. It’s designed by travelers so it has some nice features.
Travel Backpack- Packable lightweight daypack for hiking, gym, and airplane https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y3DGCL2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_CX06BAHE6SP0709ATP49

Why do melons have weddings? Because they cantaloupe!

What do you call a shoe made from a banana? A slipper!